Based on your current download speed Sail-World has delivered images reduced in size (300 pixels long side).
If you would prefer to see medium sized images (500 pixel long side)
click here , or to view large images (660 pixel long side) click here.
If text only (without pictures) is your preference, click here

'Hinchinbrook Island'
.

They're pretty cool Downunder, especially in Cairns. When a sailor's yacht was sinking this week, he didn't call rescue authorities, he called Mum. I guess when your sailing ground behind the Great Barrier Reef is full of islands, you think you don't need an EPIRB. The man, who has not yet been named, merely took to his dinghy and went to the Hinchinbrook Island Wilderness Lodge for the night.

The room wasn’t ready - .. .

The problem was, the resort had closed last year after Cyclone Yasi destroyed much of it, so there was no check-in clerk and the room wasn't ready.

He must have been running out of battery-power, as after 'Mum' contacted authorities, they were unable to reach him by phone. However, search and rescue authorities immediately launched a search operation. No distress beacon had been activated.

Meanwhile, in spite of the inconveniences of the Lodge and its lack of welcome, he slept the night at the resort, then the next morning, presumably having turned his phone on, called - his girlfriend.

This was all that was needed as then Ingham Coast Guard was sent to locate the man, 41, from Portsmith, a suburb of Cairns.

He was found, safe and well, if yacht-less, at Cape Richards, on the northern end of Hinchinbrook Island, around 11am.

by Nancy Knudsen - 4:23 AM Sat 6 Oct 2012 GMT

Click here for printer friendly version Click here to send us feedback or comments about this story.
If you want to send this story to a friend, please use link below
http://www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=102661

Based on your current download speed Sail-World has delivered large images (660 pixels long side.) If you would like to see only small images (300 pixels long side) click here . For medium sized images (500 pixels long side) click here . If you would prefer to see text only (without pictures) click here